Key events
7th over: New Zealand 24-1 (Conway 6, Williamson 6) Starc pitches up again and Williamson flays a drive that flies just over the diving Steve Smith in the slips. That would have been another remarkable grab but Williamson picks up four.
6th over: New Zealand 15-1 (Conway 6, Williamson 0) The Kiwi skipper is the new batter. Australia reeled off 18 dot balls in the lead up to Guptill’s wicket. Quality seam bowling. Devon Conway plays a beautiful straight drive for four off Hazlewood to offer a counterpunch. Skilful, absorbing cricket.
WICKET! Guptill ct Maxwell b Starc 6 (New Zealand 10-1)
WHAT A CATCH. Glenn Maxwell pouches a scintillating diving catch at backward point. Think Ben Stokes off Stuart Broad in the 2015 Ashes at Trent Bridge! Guptill slices a length ball on the drive and it flies off his blade to Maxwell’s left hand side. Maxwell launches himself goalkeeper stylee to pluck the ball out of the air as it went past him at high speed. Ooof, get that on the replay.
5th over: New Zealand 10-1 (Conway 1, Williamson 0)
4th over: New Zealand 9-0 (Guptill 6, Conway 1) Conway gets off the mark with a clip to square leg. it’s the only run off the over though as Australia turn up the pressure cooker. Kerry O’Keefe and Ian Smith have some good natured joshing about the famous Trevor Chappell underarm incident, that didn’t take long!
Oh go on then:
3rd over: New Zealand 8-0 (Guptill 6, Conway 1) Starc has found his length, six balls on a handkerchief and it is a maiden.
2nd over: New Zealand 8-0 (Guptill 6, Conway 0) Josh Hazlewood starts with a wide but he’s then on the button and the tall seamer joins six dots. The sun is now starting to break through in Cairns (the sky is resolutely ink black looking out of my window in south London)
The cameraman zooms in on Kane Williamson as he rocks his head back to squirt some eye drops into the old peepers. Bit early for that sort of thing over here. Trent Boult, freshly free of NZ contract, is also beaming away in the dug out – cap on backwards, looking incredibly teenage.
1st over: New Zealand 7-0 (Guptill 6, Conway 0) Swing straight away as Starc sends down a hooping full toss first ball that Guptill leans on, driving in the gap to pick up a couple. He then flicks a leg side ball away to the very short fine leg fence to pick up four.
Oooh drama! Guptill is given out off the final ball but REVIEWS straight away. The umpire and the Australian’s think he’s tickled this to the keeper. NOT OUT! Bat hit pad. The players exchange a few words, all good stuff. Plenty happening in the first over.
It’s a cloudy, blustery day in Cairns. Mitchell Starc has the new white nut in his hand and Guptill and Conway are marking their guards. Ian Smith is on the call on the TV. Righto – PLAY!
So Ashton Agar has made way for Marnus Labuschagne in a batting bolstering move for the Aussies. New Zealand have left out veteran seamer Tim Southee and also Finn Allen has been discarded in favour of Devon Conway at the top of the order.
Here are the teams:
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Devon Conway, Kane Willaimson (c), Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
Australia win the toss and will bowl
Aaron Finch calls the coin correctly, so his day has started well at the very least. He says he’s unsure about the conditions in Cairns, quite refreshing from the Australian skipper. I’ll post the teams now…
Preamble
James Wallace
Welcome back Mr Chappell-Hadlee, we’ve been expecting you.
It is fair to say a lot has happened since Australia and New Zealand’s men last went toe-to-toe on a cricket field, the two sides met at the SCG in early 2020 in an eerie game that had the spectre of the pandemic looming large all around it. Sure enough the world closed down almost immediately after and that, up to now, has been that.
But now we’re back with a mouth-watering contest in store. Kane Williamson’s New Zealand are looking to notch up their first win on green and gold soil in 13 (THIRTEEN) years whilst Australia have issues of their own. Namely the form of their captain, Aaron Finch, whose paltry returns of late have seen question marks over his place in the side start to swirl, the recent loss to Zimbabwe adding a big can of fuel to the fire.
Both sides have named pretty much full strength squads and we should be in for an intriguing three games in Cairns, who if my early morning research is correct, hasn’t hosted an international fixture since 2004. The waiting is nearly over, the toss is just around the corner, time for a quick boil of the kettle (insert UK politics joke here) and we’ll be underway.
Jim here with the call first up, as ever do get in touch if you are out there, your thoughts and theories are most welcome.
The game begins (under lights in Aus) at 2:20pm local time and 4:20pm NZST. It’s a dark and stormy 5am here in the UK (insert UK politics joke here).